Name by Name
A year later a directory serves as a hub to connect women in agrifoodtech
Editor’s note: A shorter version of the following was published in AgFunder. To view that version click here.
This March marks a year since the Women in Agrifoodtech Directory was launched. The directory first started in 2018 when Alison Kopf, the founder, and CEO of Artemis Ag posted an open google doc on LinkedIn with the names of 75 “Inspirational Women in Ag.” Kopf told AgFunder she was motivated to start a list in 2018 “because we have a stark vacancy of diverse voices on panels and events in our industry and wanted to elevate women to the table, especially when in ag — mostly corporate ag — there are already strong women voices at the top.”
In 2020, in conversation with other women in agtech I also learned that we had all in some capacity been tracking names of women in the sector. Here was my thought. Why not pull together our lists and created a single list that would be accessible to the outside world? The vision was simple if not obvious, the directory would connect women working in the field and encourage friendship, collaboration, and partnerships. It would also connect growers, agribusinesses, policy makers, investors, and educators with those on the directory.
The directory has been a joint team effort--Connie Bowen, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations, Louisa Burwood-Taylor of AgFunder, Danielle Gould of Food+Tech Connect and Sarah Nolet of Tenacious Ventures all made contributions.
The directory was only possible through collaboration, partnership, and shared passion. Over a thousand names emerged.
Behind the scenes Connie built the directory on Airtable, chosen specifically to enable an easily embeddable, shareable open-sourced database. The Directory was made possible through the contributions of every woman who shared her name and contact through a survey. There was the factchecking and updating that Connie took the lead on and that Isabella Parks, an intern with From Farms to Incubators participated in. They went through each entry to verify names, titles, and companies.
I have been actively sharing the Directory and giving it a shout out at every possible talk and venue that I attend or where I present. In late 2021, Connie and I reframed the survey to collect email addresses, with an option to choose whether or not to share contact info in the directory. This will enable us to email individuals in the database to request ~annual updates on a regular basis, improving the quality of this directory for all.
What next?
It is still early to gauge the impact of the Directory but there are signs that it is much needed and valued. Here are some positive signs:
· The number of women responding to the request to update their information
· Some key ag publications including Urban Ag News have referenced the directory
· The consistent requests for introductions by conference organizers to women on the list to speak at events.
· The number of women who have contributed their names to the directory—as of March 6, 2022, we’ve had over 1,300 individual survey entries, just shy of 700 of which have been verified and are currently displayed publicly.
What motivates Connie?
“I’m frustrated that there is a need for efforts like this. I want the demographics of the people in power in agrifood technology to reflect those of general society. Instead of complaining (too much),” she says. “I maintain this directory and actively try to fix it because if we’re really going to solve the world’s agrifood challenges, we need diverse perspectives.”
My hope and vision intertwined is that the directory will someday grow to include every woman who works in agrifoodtech in the U.S. and internationally. From Farms to Incubators has been working on extending its Resources directory and eventually housing all directories on a digital platform that is easily searchable.
When asked what inspires her to continue to work on the Directory, Pam says “There are so many women entering food and agri-tech, it is important to keep track of them as they are creating or working at exciting and innovative companies.” Her hope is the growing directory will result in “greater visibility for women in food and agri-tech so that when there is a panel at a conference or other venue there are some new faces at the table.”
A few lessons that I have learned from the directory. There is power in numbers, and it truly takes a community to keep the torch lit. To inspire the next generation of women to consider opportunities in agrifoodtech, the focus needs to be on creating tangible tools that they can use—more resources, more connection, and more bridges towards funding and collaborations. This is the true power of the directory, which has yet to be completely seen.
For More Information
To access the directory, click here
If you're missing from the list, OR if you're already on this list, but would like to update your info, simply fill out this form (https://airtable.com/shrAbQwD2rjwdtSol) with the up-to-date information, and check the "Update" box. You will be contacted on a bi-annual basis to confirm/update your information.
Please reach out to Connie Bowen at connbowen1@gmail.com or Amy Wu at amy.h.wu@gmail.com with any questions or concerns
